Moorehead Park features a lovely lake with plenty of places for a picnic.
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EssentialIowa
Ida Grove's gem of a park
This page was last updated: January 13, 2007
Restaurants close at 10 p.m. Learn to eat when the rest of us do or you're probably going to be hungry.*
Restaurants close at 10 p.m. Learn to eat when the rest of us do or you're probably going to be hungry.*
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PHOTOS BY CHRIS RADLOFF
The day started out innocently enough. "Honey," I said to my wife, "I think I'm gonna take a vacation day and go for a bike ride." She nodded agreeably, so I called the boss. He wasn't in yet, so I left a message. "Hey, is it okay if I take a vacation day today?" I said after the beep. "I'll be in the area, so if you need me to come in to work, just call my cell phone." I then proceeded to give him a fictitious number. I've been doing that for years. He's never figured it out yet.
A half an hour later I was happily scrubbing the bugs off the windshield in anticipation of hitting a few new ones. But where to go? That question occasionally bubbles to the surface of my thoughts. A guy feels like he should have a little direction in life once in a while, I guess. But like most questions ("should cottage cheese smell like this?" and "should this really be on fire?"), I managed to put it out of mind. I figgered I'd simply turn left at the third stop light and see where that particular road takes me. Turns out it took me to Ida Grove, via a cool road through Smithland.
By the time I reached Ida Grove, I was hot. Hot and sweaty. And thirsty. As this little bit of information was running through my beady little brain I noticed a sign that said. "Moorehead Park." I turned in, thoughts of shade and water floating through my head.
Foot on brake, left hand fluttering the clutch, I picked my way as slowly as possible up the graveled slope (bikes are allergic to gravel, you know) and around the corner. I went left, up another hill, past a few interesting-looking buildings,around a corner – there's a place to stop! I pulled the bike under a tree for shade, put the kickstand down and killed the ignition. Silence, broken only by the slight flutter of the leaves above, a lone bird chirruping to itself in theto itself in the distance, and the ever-


MOOREHEAD PARK:
CHRISRadloff
Our columnist discovers a hidden gem of a state park in the shadows of the Loess Hills.
ROAD TRIPPIN'
Seeing Iowa on the
seat of a cruiser
present tractor in the distance.a tree for shade, put the kickstand down and killed the ignition. Silence, broken only by the slight flutter of the leaves above, a lone bird chirruping to itself in theto itself in the distance, and the ever-
were cool little lakes in this corner of Iowa!
I found myself standing on the edge of one of the prettiest little lakes I've ever seen (if you discount the south end of the lake, which wasn't really all that pretty, I guess). Istood there, on the bank of the pond, in the shade, happily watching real live wildlife frolic in the wetlands.
The first thing I saw was a turtle swimming around, keeping a wary eye on me. Then I noticed that there were a couple little fish swimming around, keeping a wary eye on the turtle. I watched them for a few minutes, then realized that there was a mama, papa and baby swan floating around over to my left. That was cool. I really enjoyed just standing there, watching them.
Eventually I had my fill of watching turtles and swans and decided to follow the trail just a little further. Within just a few dozen yards, I came to a neat little foot bridge that spanned a swampy part of the pond. What fun! I stood on the bridge for a few minutes, enjoying the scenery. Then I rather reluctantly turned back to retrace my steps. If it hadn't been for the blasted heat I would have enjoyed exploring further.
I did eventually find myself getting back on my motorcycle. I decided that rather than just leaving, I'd brave the gravel roads and see what was on the right-hand fork – the road I didn't take. So I white-knuckled it back to the fork in the road and followed that for a while. It went past a few cool-looking buildings and after a bit led to the "far" side of the lake. There's a nice shelter house there, some playground equipment, and a few fishing docks. Again, I would have liked to have stopped, but the heat!
I'd like to go back to Moorehead Park. (I doubt I'll take the bike next time, though.) After I got home (which was a completely different adventure – ask me about the really cool old drive-inn I found in Mapleton) I looked the park up on that new-fangled Interweb thingy. It's something like 285 acres, which is a fair sized park in these parts! I have a feeling there were more trails to explore. So, if you ever find yourself in scenic Ida Grove, I'd encourage you to take a picnic to Moorehead Park.
Posted Aug. 9, 2006

Chris Radloff lives in Sioux City with his Viennese bride, Dagmar. A native of LeMars, he rides his motorcyle around the blue highways of Iowa. A graduate of Westmar College, he is an art director by day and a professional. musician. Visit his website at www.radloffs.net. You can e-mail him at cradloff@gmail.com.
Getting There: Moorehead Park is operated by Ida County. It's located just north of Ida Grove on U.S. Highway 59.
Where To Eat: Pack a lunch, or try the Pizza Hut near the park entrance.
Where to stay: Primitive campground.
Hours and Fees: $10 aa night. Call (712)364-3300 for reservations
  IF YOU GO:
present tractor in the distance. The beauty of the place really was kind of enchanting – at least until I remembered just how blasted HOT it was.
I got off the bike to stretch my legs a bit and looked around for a magical water fountain. Seeing that there's a scarcity of magical water fountains in the immediate vicinity, I decided to follow a little trail that led off the top of the "parking lot," conveniently labeled "Nature Trail." You know, if it's hot when you're standing in a shady spot on the side of a hill where the breeze can waft gently against your sweaty carcass, it's gonna be lots worse when you get into the woods. No breeze, just muggy. (I found out later it was 100+ degrees that day, heat index of 115, whatever that means.) But, nothing ventured, nothing gained, so I followed the trail for a while.
Just about the time I thought I must be bordering on insane to be staggering through the woods at one in the afternoon on a Wednesday when I could be comfortably sitting in the air conditioning staring vacantly at my computer at work, I came to a break in the trail. I had no idea that there
A footbridge cuts through the woods under a canopy of trees.
A lovely lake in the shadows of Loess Hills